This week, Seattle University Law Library joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country to highlight the value of libraries and library personnel and to promote library use and support.

The 2016 National Library Week theme is “Libraries Transform.” Knowing how to use a law library gives you power. Power over legal research transforms into the strongest arguments in your favor from precedent. It allows you to leverage the knowledge of experts to understand the law through secondary sources.

Interested in learning more about how law libraries transform? Check out:

Law Librarianship in the 21st Century, a text for library and information science courses on law librarianship, introduces students to the rapidly evolving world of law librarianship. With no prior knowledge of the law required, students using this book will find practical answers to such questions as: What is law librarianship? How do you become a law librarian? How does law librarianship interrelate with the legal world? Individual chapters provide a concise treatment of such specialized topics as the history of law librarianship, international law, and government documents. Standard topics are dealt with as they apply to the law library, including collection development, public services, technical processing, administration, technology, and consortia. The textbook also includes an explanation of the common acronyms and special terminology needed to work in a law library.

This week, Seattle University Law Library joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country to highlight the value of libraries and library personnel and to promote library use and support.

This week, Seattle University Law Library joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country to highlight the value of libraries and library personnel and to promote library use and support.

Old Spice stumbled onto pop-culture gold when it first debuted it’s now famous “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercials featuring Isaiah Mustafa back in 2010. There have been countless parodies since, from The Muppets to Skyrim, and libraries have definitely jumped on the viral bandwagon, too. Check out this parody from Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library!

The journey to return overdue library books! A fate many have endured, some with success, others less so. But at least your journey never required a group of nine people setting out on a mythical quest! Before winning an Emmy for his work on the TV show “Heros”, special effects artist Chris Martin produced an eighteen minute informational short for his alma mater, the University of Kansas, entitled “Lord of the Libraries.” Check it out!

Many librarians love pop-culture and there have been no shortage of librarians jumping on viral video bandwagons to recreate our favorite songs and memes in library settings. From the Harlem Shake to Old Spice, librarians love the opportunity to have fun and be silly! Check out this classic video from our colleagues over at the University of Washington parodying Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”

The highlight of the National Library Week festivities is the Library’s annual display of celebrity “Read” posters featuring law school faculty and books that hold special significance to them. This year, the entire exhibit is available online.

As a 2L at West Virginia University College of Law, Andy Loud understands the drudgery of law school. So he channeled his frustrations into a parody of Maroon 5’s hit “Payphone”, simply entitled “Law School.” The video has had over 155,000 hits, features many scenes in the law library, and we think this is one of the best legal pop-culture parodies yet!

For those who have early memories of visits to the library, it may come as a surprise to learn that allowing children in libraries is a relatively recent historical development. This exhibit celebrates the libraries and librarians who fought to open libraries to children. View the materials on display to explore the many ways librarians sought to create welcoming spaces containing age-appropriate materials available to children. This exhibit was created by Donna Turner, library Collection Maintenance/Preservation Specialist, for National Library Week and Children’s Book Week. (2nd floor)